Do you feel overwhelmed by an ever-growing amount of patterned paper scraps? It comes down to the way you look at them–whether you see those scraps as your partners or your enemies.

I love my scraps. I even love them more than my stash of brand new untouched patterned paper. It’s true! If you’d like to rekindle the romance between yourself and your discarded patterns, read on for a few tips.

1. Make the Scraps Your First Priority

Except when it’s important to use patterned paper as a 12×12 background, go to your patterned paper stash before looking at your full-sized sheets. Every time I dig through my scraps they surprise me with all their wonderful patterned potential–so many designs I forget about.

You’ll avoid unnecessary growth in scraps by using what’s already there, rather than add to the pile every time you make a layout.

2. Set Your Scraps Up For Easy Access

I used to separate my scraps in hanging file folders by color or holiday. That was back when I hated those scraps. It was a pain to put them away and it was a pain to pick them out. Then I read that Ali Edwards mixes her patterns together. Trying her method forever changed my relationship with those fun leftover pieces.

I now keep my larger scraps in a wooden serving tray and my tiny or narrow pieces in a long rectangular block candle holder. Both sit on my table, right next to me, within reach and eye-sight. I used to keep my cutting tool there, but I found it much more useful to have my scraps in reach instead.

3. Ignite New Enthusiasm With Unusual Mixing

It really is fun to dig through a pile of scraps. It’s like running into old friends. Seeing them next to other patterns you’ve never matched together will give you a new way of looking at them. You’ll discover combinations you would never have paired on purpose.

Just seeing my patterns mixed this way makes me want to make layouts. My pile of scraps is one of my actual sources for ideas and scrapbooking motivation.

4. Have Some Simple Go-To Templates

The layout at the top of this post is from one of my go-to templates. With this template I support a single photo with a group of square patterns from my scraps, and then I bridge them with a ribbon or line of some kind. Last, I add a title, a trio of embellishments (in this case, three word strips) and journal around the edge of the page. Easy but attractive.

Look through your favorite layouts and identify the ones that use smaller pieces of patterned paper. These can be templates for future layouts that you can go to again and again.

If you’ve seen your scraps as your enemy instead of your partners, try these tips. Not only will you save money and reduce waste and stress, you’ll also find a new muse full of unending inspiration.

Since so many of you like to watch the recorded videos of Paperclipping Live, I decided to embed them right into the Paperclipping blog so you don’t have to go hunting for them.

Here is last night’s show, where we used a previous scrapbook page that was great for using scraps as a template for a new one.

Today we have an awesome video for the Premium Subscribers. In this tutorial I take inspiration from a very old layout, but make key changes on my new one using my understanding of design.

Make sure you stick around for the outtakes at the end of the video!

If you want to learn more about the premium membership so you can have access to all of the videos, click here.

Spin & Be Merry
Two-page 12×12 Layout

Below are two sets of instructions for layering embellishments the way they are on the layout above. You don’t need to have the same products. Look through your own stash to find items with similar characteristics. If you don’t have a lot of embellishments, look for designs you can cut out of patterned paper.

Top Left Cluster

I used this pair of birds on a branch as a way to pull attention to my focal point photo.

1. Nestle the bird duo with a word that supports the layouts’ story.
2. Highlight the word with a circular embellishment.
3. Apply foam dots to the back of your bird embellishment to raise it on the page.
4. Place the entire set on top of an area of patterned paper that you’ve lined with a ribbon (like rik-rak).

Lower Right Cluster

I cut this trio of flowers from the K.I. Memory Lace Cardstock.

1. Highlight your “bouquet” with half of a circular shape, like this screen-printed transparency by Hambly.
2. Add three-dimensional buds to your flowers with brads or epoxy stickers.
3. You can extend the plant-life on your page by adding a subtle transparent grouping of leaves. Mine are a soft orange and come from My Mind’s Eye.

When layering embellishments, start with a focal point piece, like the birds or the flowers. This doesn’t mean the embellishment will be the focal point of the page–just the focal point of that cluster. Find smaller pieces like words or buttons to gather around the focal point, and a shape, such as a circle, to act as a frame.

Summer break is a great time to look back through your school-related photos from the previous year so you can scrap them before next year’s school events muddle your memory.

Scrapbooking A Child’s School Project

Journaling to Aiden reads: Today you brought home a dinosaur egg from school. Really, it was a rock in plaster. But not your your mind. For you this was the real thing and you were ecstatic.

You came at this egg very seriously, asking me for tools. I set you up with a screwdriver and hammer. You worked on it forever. So serious about it. My favorite part was the look of sheer unbelief when you first revealed the rock–ahem–dinosaur egg. A favorite day. For both of us.

The canvas:
For this page I used Photoshop to crop most of my photos into 2-inch squares. After print them, I arranged them in a stream, or a long canvas of their own. I love the story-telling quality of the linear progression: 1) Happy Aiden with his tools; 2) Broken pieces of plaster as he pounds with his hammer; 3) A surprised look as he makes his first break-through; 4) More pounding; 5) A look of amazement at his totally exposed egg.

Scrapbooking A Page From College

Journaling reads: It cracked me up to find that both Brandon and Nicole had fallen asleep while they were studying. Is that Gina and I making fun of them later in a sleeping dog pile???

My favorite way to place multiple items on a page (in this case, three photos and a comic strip) is to create their own square-shaped canvas, filling any gaps with patterned paper or journaling boxes. These spaces are a fun place to gather embellishments that support the story. For this story, I chose stickers with words that say:

* Due Date * To Do List * Little By Little the Time Goes By * Friends * Memories *

Note: Because I didn’t write down my roommate-story right away, I am no longer sure of the details. If that happens to you, don’t let that keep you from telling what you think happened. Share a detail as a question if you’re really not sure.

Whether you tell your story as a progression with a photo stream, or in the pockets of a mosaic square, creating a canvas within the canvas of your layout is a fun and interesting way to tell a tale.

My favorite detail of this layout is the sun, which is, in part, the result of a happy little accident. I used foam dots to raised my sun off the paper but the beads weighed its edges down so it actually has a rounded puffiness to it that I just adore–perfectly child-like. I wish the photos showed it better.

Take Advantage Of All Angles

Notice the totally different effects between laying beads flat and lying them on their side. You can get two different looks with one product.

Glisten

Stickles have proven themselves to be 100% versatile, from the glitter of Christmas time to the glistening reflection of the summer sun. I love products like this that provide multiple uses for multiple purposes, making a huge impact from just a small amount.

I bet the designer of greenish-blue paper never thought of water while creating it, but look how wave-like it is?

A Wet Look

Add Glossy Effects or Diamond Glaze to the top of an element on your page for a wet look. It takes a steady hand to do long, thin lines like this, though, so you may want to practice beforehand. I had a little trouble with mine.

The economy is tight right now, at least for Americans. You don’t have to hit the scrapbook store, though, to find just the right summer products for your layouts. Search through your current stash to find items that emulate aspects of summer on this year’s pages.

* * *

115 Degree Summers
8.5×11 Layout

Supplies used: Cardstock (Bazzill); Patterned paper (Creative Imaginations); Glitter (Stickles by Ranger); Clear glue (Glossy Accents by Range); Letter stickers (Creative Memories); Beads (from own stash).

Paperclipping 48 - Summer Elements from izzyvideo on Vimeo.
Today’s episode is short and sweet, perfect for what we’re enjoying right now–summer time! If you’re already taking photos at the pool or beach, you might get a few ideas for your next layout.

As always, we have a higher-quality version for you to enjoy, as well as show notes for this episode.

I wanted to answer some questions from Toni about this layout from Episode 46.

Questions

Is the subtle hue on the paper (visible in the top right quarter) painted on, or was it already present in the paper pattern? The hue change was already present on the paper. It is made by Daisy Bucket and is from their Garden Gate collection. It’s the backside of the red patterned paper called, Summer Sweet.

How long did it take you to plan, layout and complete this page? I am a slow scrapbooker (I force myself to work faster on Paperclipping Live, but I really prefer to take my time, enjoy the moment, and allow my brain to wander and think about things) but this was a very fast layout for me. One of my easier ones. I completed it in three different short sittings. As for time, my best guess is maybe 5 minutes; 45 minutes, and 30 minutes.

My Process

Making the grid: I first laid my photos on the Basic Grey mat (this took me 5 minutes at the most), then put it away for a week while I worked on other projects. When I pulled my mat out again, I quickly saw that there was one spot that looked predictable because it formed a sort of checkerboard formation (if you don’t know me yet, I don’t like my art to be predictable–something I discovered as a child when I used to choreograph my own dances for fun) so I moved two of the photos and then I was happy with it.

Transferring the photos to my paper and adhering it was the longest part of putting this layout together, but was so easy because of having had the photos on the mat first. I used a ruler, not to measure, but to make sure the photos were straight. As I transferred each photo to my paper, I sanded the edges.

Adding the details: Next, I knew I wanted to add a happy color so I grabbed a scrap of orange patterned paper (Basic Grey), cut two squares, and placed them fairly randomly. I also felt I needed some circles for variety and found two different circle stamps and a piece of Scenic Route chipboard and put them in a triangular formation.

As I was looking around my room at my stuff I noticed my acrylic letters and pulled out the “a.” It was perfect for adding something into the bottom left corner because it added some detail down there without making that corner too heavy–I wanted the most weight to be at the bottom right corner.

At this point it was all about balancing my color by adding second and third points of a visual triangle for each color. I knew I wanted my title in the empty rectangular space and green would finish one triangle. Adding a swipe of orange paint underneath the title would help it to stand out and complete the triangle of orange. I ran out of green letters so I was happy to add yet another color to my palette (red), and then found two red buttons to balance it. I continued this until it had a nice balance of color and empty spaces to filled spaces.

A magnetic mat is not necessary.

I do recommend you use a grid of some kind because it makes it so easy, but you don’t need a magnetic one. I used the magnets on the video because my mat was upright for you to see. When I did this with my actual photos, though, I didn’t use the magnets, even while I was storing it away for a week.

* * *

Self-Expression
12×12 layout

Products: Adhesive (Diamond Glaze, Creative Memories Tape Runner, Foam 3-D Dots by EK Success); Patterned paper (Daisy Bucket, Basic Grey, My Mind’s Eye-for circle stamp, K.I. Memories lace paper); Chipboard letters (Heidi Swapp, Making Memories); Stamps (7 Gypsies, Catslife Press); Ink (7 Gypsies, Stazon); Acrylic letter (Heidi Swapp); Chipboard (Scenic Route); Brads (Making Memories); Buttons (Creative Cafe); Sticker (7 Gypsies); Rub-on letters (for Mama–Heidi Swapp); Ribbon (We R Memory Keepers); Flower Charm Buckle (from own stash).

We’ve been talking about personal style a lot over the last two weeks. Part of our focus was an exchange of products between Dedra Long and myself. We have two very different styles and my hope was that we could try elements of each other’s style and make them our own. This is an interesting exercise to do because it can help you hone in on, not only what you are, but what you are not. It also gives you an opportunity to try something new, while learning to stay within the parameters of your own personal style.

My Layout

Here is the layout that I made using a combination of my products with the ones Dedra gave me. Almost everything in her kit was stuff that I like. The parts that weren’t me were the pink and white heart paper, and the abundance of pink in general as a main color. I added cream lace, lavender tuille, and additional patterned paper to make it my own.

Another way that I dealt with the difficult items was to add a second, warmer shade of pink (which is more of a “me” pink) and to turn the heart paper into an embellishment (I cut out a bunch of hearts and had them bubbling over the top of the lace and paper. In fact, my idea for dealing with the hearts came when I was going through my older layouts for the series on the evolution of my personal style. I found a cluster of hearts on one of my earliest layouts (not shown in my posts) that I loved then and still like now. I like the bubbliness of the circular tops of hearts so that is what I focused on.

Lately, I’ve been wanting to play with more happy colors so it was a good time to work with more pink than usual and to play with more three-dimensionality than I normally do on a layout. I do feel like I’ve expanded my scrapbook repertoire from this experiment.

Dedra’s Layout

Dedra cheated on her project. =)

I had to put that in there. Actually, it’s okay. She really tried to fit all my pieces in but ultimately, it just wasn’t her to have so many patterns, especially in the colors I chose for her, so she left some things out. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Dedra work with these golden browns and I think it’s gorgeous. The layout still screams Dedra, but in a new color.

The beads were also new for Dedra and I love how she added them as an accessory to a very Dedra-esque wire frame in a very playful and whimsical way. I’m curious to know if she plans to use more beads in the future and if she learned anything about herself in this process.

Paperclipping 46 - Invisible Grids from izzyvideo on Vimeo.

I think you’re going to love today’s episode. In it I share a layout idea with a tip on how to make it easy to put together, as well as design concepts so you can make it your own.

Click here for the high-quality version. Show notes are also available.